Finally, “30 Rock” returns Thursday, with an episode that’s a hilarious sendup of “Survivor” and other reality shows. It comes with the usual spot-on satire of product placements and all things television. The title of the episode, however, must have slipped by Standards & Practices.

“MILF Island,”

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the make-believe reality show that runs on screens at the NBC headquarters throughout the half-hour, is based on a foul acronym that first entered the vernacular via the “American Pie” movies. It stands for “mothers I’d like to —-.” (We can’t even write that in the Post blogosphere.)

The conceit is that Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is asked to create a spinoff of that reality show, but she claims to have too much integrity to do so. Of course, she ends up doing worse things. Through it all, we see 8th grade boys oogling moms in bikinis, hear about contestants “eating bugs to earn tampons.” A confessional shower sponsored by a soap manufacturer. And so on.

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.